
As of 1 April 2022 Poland is home to nearly 3.2 million Ukrainians, according to this report on refugees from Ukraine in major Polish cities by the Pawel Adamowicz Centre for Analysis and Research of the Union of Polish Metropolises. This number includes both Ukrainians that have been residing in Poland for a long time and refugees who have arrived in Poland as a result of the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by Russia on 24 February 2022. Reliable information on the number of Ukrainians in Poland is essential for the government and local authorities to design systemic solutions to their needs, such as integration support and state financial assistance policies.
The recent massive influx of refugees has made Poland the second largest refugee-hosting country in the world, after Turkey. Large cities play the biggest role in the reception of refugees from Ukraine and their integration. As of March 2022, the cities associated with the Union of Polish Metropolises and their surrounding municipalities hosted almost 70% (over 2.2 million people) of all Ukrainian citizens currently living in Poland (i.e., those who came to Poland after 24 February as well as those already living there).
As the authors of the report point out, the implementation of integration policies should not be determined only by the absolute numbers of refugees and migrants in given cities, but should also take into account the relative presence of foreigners in these cities. For example, although the largest number of Ukrainians live in Warsaw (almost 267 000), it is in Rzeszow that the overall number of residents has increased the most, by 53%.
Such a large number of Ukrainians can be a source of tension between Polish society and newcomers from Ukraine. According to experts, this tension may include: the feeling of injustice due to the scale of support for refugees from Ukraine compared with that available for other groups, difficult moments of common history (e.g. genocide in Volhynia), competition in the labour market, more difficult access to care and educational services, and nationalist attitudes. To mitigate these tensions, it will be necessary for the government and local authorities to implement large-scale social sensitisation campaigns and appropriate integration policies.
The data presented in this report was collected by Selectivv using an innovative method called Geotrapping®, which, by aggregating information from mobile devices, made it possible to determine the number and location of adult Ukrainians (15 years and older) residing in Poland. The data covers the period between 1 February and 1 April 2022. Qualitative analysis and forecasts were elaborated based on foresight workshops with experts on migration, data and urban issues.
Details
- Authors
- Marcin Wojdat, Paweł Cywiński
- Geographic area
- Poland
- Contributor type
- Local governmental actor
- Original source
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